4 arrested in heroin probe

Drugs, cash seized as warrants served at two separate addresses

Rindge Police have arrested a man and three women in connection with an ongoing heroin investigation.

Those arrested include Felicia Sweet, 25, of Rindge, Jacqueline Geoffrey, 24, of Antrim, Joseph Nagle, 54, of Rindge and Tammy Nagle, 52, of Rindge. Police made the arrests after executing two search warrants simultaneously at two addresses within the Hasbrouck Apartments on Payson Hill Road. According to police, heroin was seized, as was a large sum of cash. The amount of heroin and money were not disclosed, although Police Chief Frank Morrill specified that the amount of heroin was under five ounces.

Sweet was charged with three counts of felony possession of narcotics believed to be heroin and one count of felony possession with intent to distribute heroin. She's being held on 10,000 cash bail at Cheshire County Jail. She was arraigned Friday at 1:15 p.m. by video arraignment at the Keene District Court. At her arraignment, her bail was adjusted to $25,000 cash or surety bail. Sweet will appear at the 8th Circuit Court, Jaffrey Wednesday for a probable cause hearing.

Joseph Nagle, Tammy Nagle and Geoffrey were each charged with one count of felony possession of narcotics believed to be heroin and were each released on $5,000 bail. Their arraignments are set for March 5 in the 8th Circuit Court, Jaffrey.

Rindge Police received mutual aid assistance from Jaffrey, New Ipswich and Dublin police departments with the arrest.

Police do see heroin use in town, said Morrill, but usually the arrests made are related to recreational users that have a single dose or paraphernalia on them.

There have not been any arrests for intent to distribute heroin in the last several years at the Rindge Police Department, he noted, so the arrests were significant in more ways than one.

“If you shut down a dealer in area, you force users to go elsewhere,” he said. “It also makes those involved in the use and sale of drugs aware that the police are going to investigate and make arrests. As dealers and users get too comfortable, that promotes that type of activity.”

And having a drug like heroin in the area can have a direct correlation with the increase of poverty related crime, Morrill said. He said Rindge has already seen some of that.

The vast majority of those caught shoplifting from WalMart and Hannaford Supermarket have been found to be addicts, and are often unemployed and stealing items to collect money to support drug habits, he said. He said three recent residential burglaries that led to arrests were committed by heroin addicts who were out of work.

“An addict doesn’t fear consequences, because the withdrawals and the chemical addiction are more important to them than the fear of being caught,” said Morrill.

Ashley Saari can be reached at 924-7172 ex. 244, or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaari.